1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for kneading materials such as bread dough and the like and a method of controlling the quality of the materials during kneading, and particularly to an apparatus and method for kneading bread dough and the like in a mass production plant where quality control is required.
2. Description of Prior Art
To control the quality of bread dough and the like in kneading, the operator measures physical properties of the dough, as for instance, its viscosity, temperature, or pH values, as he feels it necessary to measure them on a case-by-case basis, but the measuring method has not been organized or systematic, so that no sufficient control of quality has been available to detect inferior quality before products are manufactured. The conventional method fails to provide instantaneous observation of all required parameters of kneading conditions, so that there have been occurrences of failure. Furthermore, the inferior quality of products are often discovered only after they are manufactured, thereby causing damage.
Japanese Early-Patent Publication No. 219333/61 teaches a method of monitoring changes in kneading resistance using the trend in the chronological change of electric power values and of the amplitudes of waves of electric power values and stopping kneading where measured values reach approximately the highest point. This method aims only at the change in kneading resistance, and other parameters, such as the temperature or the pH value of a product, are disregarded. Therefore, the kneading operation cannot be effectively controlled.